Neural interfaces for somatosensory function restoration; Neural coding of sensation; Sensory learning; Psychosocial implications of artificial touch; Maximizing sensory information transmission using artificial intelligence

Dr. Graczyk’s research examines the coding and processing of somatosensory information and the perceptual and psychological experience of artificial sensation created by neurotechnology. She uses cross-disciplinary approaches to study sensation, including neural stimulation, computational modeling, psychometrics, behavioral assessments, and qualitative analyses. During her PhD training, she was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. She has recently secured independent funding from the Department of Defense and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for her research projects. In 2018, Dr. Graczyk was named a DARPA Riser, one of a select group of early career investigators identified as potential future superstars whose work could impact national security.

Publications (Select)

Entire publication list can be found here.

1: Segil JL, Cuberovic I, Graczyk EL, Weir RFF, Tyler D. Combination of
Simultaneous Artificial Sensory Percepts to Identify Prosthetic Hand Postures: A
Case Study. Sci Rep. 2020 Apr 20;10(1):6576. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-62970-4.
PubMed PMID: 32313060; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7171192.


2: Ereifej ES, Shell CE, Schofield JS, Charkhkar H, Cuberovic I, Dorval AD,
Graczyk EL, Kozai TDY, Otto KJ, Tyler DJ, Welle CG, Widge AS, Zariffa J, Moritz
CT, Bourbeau DJ, Marasco PD. Neural engineering: the process, applications, and
its role in the future of medicine. J Neural Eng. 2019 Nov 12;16(6):063002. doi:
10.1088/1741-2552/ab4869. PubMed PMID: 31557730.


3: Cuberovic I, Gill A, Resnik LJ, Tyler DJ, Graczyk EL. Learning of Artificial
Sensation Through Long-Term Home Use of a Sensory-Enabled Prosthesis. Front
Neurosci. 2019 Aug 21;13:853. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00853. eCollection 2019.
PubMed PMID: 31496931; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6712074.


4: Christie BP, Graczyk EL, Charkhkar H, Tyler DJ, Triolo RJ. Visuotactile
synchrony of stimulation-induced sensation and natural somatosensation. J Neural
Eng. 2019 Jun;16(3):036025. doi: 10.1088/1741-2552/ab154c. Epub 2019 Apr 2.
PubMed PMID: 30939464.


5: Graczyk EL, Gill A, Tyler DJ, Resnik LJ. The benefits of sensation on the
experience of a hand: A qualitative case series. PLoS One. 2019 Jan
31;14(1):e0211469. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211469. eCollection 2019. PubMed
PMID: 30703163; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6355013.


6: Schiefer MA, Graczyk EL, Sidik SM, Tan DW, Tyler DJ. Artificial tactile and
proprioceptive feedback improves performance and confidence on object
identification tasks. PLoS One. 2018 Dec 5;13(12):e0207659. doi:
10.1371/journal.pone.0207659. eCollection 2018. PubMed PMID: 30517154; PubMed
Central PMCID: PMC6281191.


7: Graczyk EL, Delhaye BP, Schiefer MA, Bensmaia SJ, Tyler DJ. Sensory adaptation
to electrical stimulation of the somatosensory nerves. J Neural Eng. 2018
Aug;15(4):046002. doi: 10.1088/1741-2552/aab790. Epub 2018 Mar 19. PubMed PMID:
29551756; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6034502.


8: Graczyk EL, Resnik L, Schiefer MA, Schmitt MS, Tyler DJ. Home Use of a
Neural-connected Sensory Prosthesis Provides the Functional and Psychosocial
Experience of Having a Hand Again. Sci Rep. 2018 Jun 29;8(1):9866. doi:
10.1038/s41598-018-26952-x. PubMed PMID: 29959334; PubMed Central PMCID:
PMC6026118.


9: Graczyk EL, Schiefer MA, Saal HP, Delhaye BP, Bensmaia SJ, Tyler DJ. The
neural basis of perceived intensity in natural and artificial touch. Sci Transl
Med. 2016 Oct 26;8(362):362ra142. PubMed PMID: 27797958; PubMed Central PMCID:
PMC5713478.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Investigator
Cleveland FES Center

Research Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Case Western Reserve University

Research Associate
Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center

CONTACT INFORMATION

Program Contact
Emily Graczyk

Contact Number
(216) 791-3800 x63571

Contact Email
emily.graczyk@case.edu